As we meet outside a nondescript doorway near Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street in Huntington Beach, a bear of a man leads me back through a labyrinth of hallways until we arrive at a simple kitchen. As soon as he opens the door, it hits you —...

I think Bacchus Bar & Bistro is the kind of place we would all like to have in our neighborhood: casual and friendly with good food and live music at a reasonable decibel. It is located in the Quail Hill Village Center and has indoor and outdoor dining....

I remember a time when hotel restaurant food was traditional, fancy, expensive and not particularly good. But times have changed, and many hotels are serving wonderful and inventive food.
I don't know exactly why things mutated, but the fact that...

1. The quaglia at Perrozzi in Corona Del Mar, is speck wrapped quail, stuffed with ground wild boar sausage and served on a bed of spectacular mushrooms. The perfectly cooked quail with a nice brown skin had a wrapping of crisped speck. It was stuffed...

I received quite a bit of feedback on my tips column about three months ago ("All About Food: Tips from a kitchen master," Sept. 4), and since people seem to want more, I'm happy to oblige. I always pick up a few new ideas in the process. If you have any favorites that you would like to share, please send them to me.
1. I have noticed that a lot of the TV chefs, when barbecuing burgers, make an indentation in the center of the patty. I really wasn't sure why they did it, so I looked it up. It seems...

Shooby-dooby down: Ruby's Dinette, 428 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa, will celebrate the company's 32nd anniversary by selling a classic RubyBurger for 32 cents from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday. Guests also will receive a return incentive. The RubyBurger promotion does not include cheese, extra toppings or fries. One burger per dine-in guest only. Information: rubys.com.
A light on the water: The 106th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade will take place at 6:30 p.m. nightly through Sunday. Under this year's...

As Chris Tzorin ladled spicy tortilla soup into bowls at a fundraiser Oct. 23 to benefit Orange County residents struggling with homelessness, hunger and poverty, he stressed the importance of serving those in need.
Tzorin, executive chef at Tortilla Republic in Laguna Beach, spooned out gallons of soup that his restaurant had donated to South County Outreach's second annual fundraiser. The nonprofit's event, Empty Bowls, drew more than 230 guests at El Niguel Country Club in Laguna Niguel.
"It's...

French 75 is becoming seriously French again. It was on its way when Dave Shofner became the chef but now with the collaboration of master chef Pascal Olhats, it has arrived, along with a recession-busting $10 entrée menu called "The Perfect 10." We've never seen the place so busy on a weeknight. Is it the $10 menu or has everyone had his fill of fusion and fallen back in love with French cuisine?
The terrace was closed in the very chilly weather, but the ambiance inside was warm, welcoming and bustling...

Royal Thai Cuisine in Newport Beach is a dressed up Thai restaurant. It has been open for 27 years, making it one of the oldest in Orange County. Another Royal Thai Cuisine is in Laguna Beach, at 1750 S. Coast Hwy.
The cuisine features foods from all regions of Thailand. There is marinated grilled chicken and green papaya salad from the province of Issan in the Northeast, salty sour curries from the North, more sophisticated Bangkok cookery from Central Thailand (most familiar to us) — with lots...

With 100 restaurants to choose from, the biggest question about the fifth Orange County Restaurant Week isn't whether to partake; it's where.
The now-annual culinary event opens Sunday and offers three-course menus for all palates, from down-home gumbo at Memphis Café to lamb tagine at Marrakesh.
The prix-fixe menus will include lunch for $10, $15 or $20, or dinner for $20, $30 or $40.
For Executive Chef Renieri Caceres of new California wine bistro Rustica in Fashion Island, the week means an...

If the notion of a vegan meal makes you cringe, a dinner at Mai Nguyen's Au Lac might very well change your mind, especially if you are a fan of Vietnamese, Chinese or Japanese food.
Co-chef Ito actually calls his cuisine "Humanese" because he wishes to break down boundaries between people — "we are all merely and wonderfully human." We think their delicious food will make it an easy transition for carnivores to enjoy a vegan meal. Ito is at the helm of the separate raw food kitchen for those...